headphone recommendations?

[mr_fender]

Headphones are extremely subjective. Even more so than speakers because physical fit comes into play. You'll get a million suggestions. You just have to try a bunch and see where you land.

 

[Budda]

Headphones are extremely subjective. Even more so than speakers because physical fit comes into play. You'll get a million suggestions. You just have to try a bunch and see where you land.

Not even. Just get a set - if you dont dislike it, you’re set.

I used my wife’s bose headphones before she got me the dt770.

OP isnt mixing and mastering as a day job, most headphones are gonna work imo.

 

[petruccirocks02]

What ohms are best? I use Yamaha HPH-MT5’s. They’re 51 ohms. Would I be better off with higher ohm headphones for the Axe 3?

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[JoKeR III]

What ohms are best? I use Yamaha HPH-MT5’s. They’re 51 ohms. Would I be better off with higher ohm headphones for the Axe 3?

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The Axe III headphone impedance is 35Ω, so higher will definitely work. Whether they sound "better" or not depends on the headphones. In the audiophile world it might make a bigger difference, but with the Axe III I'm not sure if it really matters. The AKG's I use sound great- 55Ω, same with the 64 Audio in-ears- 11Ω.

 

[vangrieg]

What ohms are best?

Higher is safer with Fractal products in terms of accuracy but not necessarily, and they may be not as loud.

 

[Stratman68]

Had the 256Ohm Dt770 Pro's for a while -Upgraded to the DT770 Pro X-what a difference-sound and comfort and detachable cable----
Just much, much better imho-56 ohms I think...........

 

[vangrieg]

In the audiophile world it might make a bigger difference, but with the Axe III I'm not sure if it really matters.

It does in the sense that some low impedance headphones may be unusable. My IEMs don’t work at all when plugged directly.

 

[jbeattie246]

I need a new pair of headphones. I'm coming from the sony mdr-7506. I have my axe-3 connected to my focusrite 18i8 3rd gen via spdif. so im gonna be connecting the headphones to my focusrite instead of the axe it self. Max budget is $200

I think you should look into in ear monitors. Generally you can get better sound and better isolation for the price with in ears given your $200 budget. The Truthear Hexa ($90) has a fairly neutral sound with a bit of extra bass and could be EQ'ed further to taste.

I like IEMs because wearing over ear headphones tends to make my ears hot, and the IEM form factor is more compatible with wearing glasses. I have two pairs of IEMs, one is the same price as my HD600 headphones and the other is cheaper, both sound better than the headphones in my opinion.

 

[discondition]

ATH-M50x are fantastic through my focusrite interface. I've had them for almost 10 years now, still going strong.

 

[sgplayer76]

What ohms are best? I use Yamaha HPH-MT5’s. They’re 51 ohms. Would I be better off with higher ohm headphones for the Axe

Lower ohm headphones generally work better with devices like a computer, phone, or the AxeFx, without the need for a headphone amplifier. Higher ohm headphones also work, but most devices will struggle to push them without an amplifier. 51ohm is probably low enough to get a nice full sound without additional power.

 

[vangrieg]

Lower ohm headphones generally work better with devices like a computer, phone, or the AxeFx

Except Fractal devices have a very high output impedance so not all low impedance headphones will work properly. It’s much better to have low volume than a completely messed up frequency response.

 

[mr_fender]

Amp output impedance does affect damping and frequency response, but it also depends on the impedance curve of the headphones. The flatter the impedance curve is, the less frequency response variation you'll have with different amp output impedance.

 

[vangrieg]

The flatter the impedance curve is, the less frequency response variation you'll have with different amp output impedance.

True, that’s why I’m saying that “not all” low impedance headphones will work.

It’s also worth noting that loudness of headphones is a result of their sensitivity, and while high impedance headphones need more power in general, one milliwatt of power produces different levels of sound pressure in different models, so high impedance headphones may still be loud enough.

I’d also venture to guess (without pretending to know for sure) that if some headphones have a very flat impedance curve they have a lot of mechanical damping going on. Which means, in turn, that they probably lose a lot of efficiency doing that. Which also most probably means lower sensitivity. So low impedance headphones with a flat curve may not necessarily be louder than a pair with a higher number of Ohms listed in specs.

 

[Forever Again]

OP isnt mixing and mastering as a day job, most headphones are gonna work imo.

When tracking I use a Sony MDR-V300 An upgrade does sounds nice, one day

 

[vangrieg]

When tracking I use a Sony MDR-V300

When I chose what to buy, I went to a store and listened to a dozen or so headphones, and just picked the ones I liked most - in terms of not just sound, but also fit, weight etc. Those were in a much more expensive tier than the V300s, but rarely pop up in these threads.

Those headphones have served me very well for years, I bought a pair of closed and open backs that sounded and felt similarly, but I’d probably never buy them if I were just searching the internets.

I also remember that I didn’t like the Sennheiser HD6xxs at all - so maybe they’re great for mixing but mixing isn’t what I do often, so who cares. Same was true about most of the usual suspects.

Just to reiterate - the best way to choose headphones is to listen to them on your own head with the type of music you listen to and play, and all these internet threads are just noise really.